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Synopsis
Meet supernatural sleuth and writer Kantaro Ichinomiya. Kantaro spends his days traveling the Japanese countryside, fighting demons and writing about his adventures in hopes of finding the resting place of the mysterious Demon-Eating Goblin. During a trip to the countryside, Kantaro finds himself face-to-face with the creature he’s been searching for since childhood. Will Haruka the Demon-Eating Goblin join Kantaro’s band of supernatural adventurers? Can Haruka peacefully coexist with fox demon Yoko, heiress Suzu Edogawa, Sugino the White Goblin and his wife Muuchan? Will Kantaro be able to solve feudal Japan’s growing demon problem AND finish his book by his editor’s deadline? Find out in Volume One of Tactics!

Review
I knew from the moment I pressed play that there was something familiar with this anime. Of course, I thought about just about everything that I have seen that has left a mark on me and it came to me that Tactics is very similar to Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok. From the way the characters look to the opening and closing themes. The similarities are visually there. So if you are a fan of Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok then you should enjoy Tactics as they flow alike (and the reason for the similarities was the results from Studio DEEN). We are still searching ‘mysteries,’ and the only major difference is that the time setting has a huge gap. But enough with the Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok comparisons as Tactics has its own unique aspects as well. For one, it manages to hold its own when it comes to characters that have a growing effect on you.

Kantaro Ichinomiya was a unique child growing up; he had the ability to see things other kids could not. Because of his ability he was almost an outcast. He tried to tell people that his ghoul friends existed, but nobody believed him. One day, as he and his spirit friends were playing and talking, the name Demon-Eating Goblin was brought up. It was said that the Demon-Eating Goblin was the most powerful of all, with that said, Kantaro was intrigued and from that day on has followed his path to find his Haruka.

As stated earlier, the characters have a growing effect on you. In the beginning, Kantaro’s character has a habit of making you assume that he is one of those silent type, keep everything to himself kind of characters, but as it turns out, he is actually quite the conversation starter. Yoko, the fox is the usual nagging, but cute ‘friend’ of Kantaro and the rest of the characters are unique in their own way, hence it makes this piece of anime that much better. I really liked the blend of personalities as it works very well when mixed up together. You pretty much get a little bit of here, and a little bit of there, never too much, and never to little. So it is quite hard to find yourself hating on anybody in the show, due to the fact that it is so balanced.

Since we are speaking about characters, then we might as well go into how great the designs are for this show. The lovely animation and details really bring out the life of Tactics. It is like one of the episodes that is featured in volume one where the mannequin comes to life, the characters come to life as the animation is one of the best I have seen so far. But please do keep in mind that animation is not all Tactics has to offer, in the acoustics department, the show slaps you with a few nice beats, and if both the animation and sound does not get to you (usually its not enough for the average fan :P) then the plot will definitely open your eyes and drag you into the world of Tactics.

The Breakdown
What is great about Tactics is that it is a joy to watch. It is a show that is balanced on all fronts and as a result of this balance the interest for the show never seems to fade away. If you are a fan of Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok and could not get enough of that show, then Tactics can pretty much fill your need for more.

Synopsis

A deadly virus has attacked humanity with vicious intent! At the forefront of the battle is the enigmatic Akamatsu Industries. Disguised as a heavy machine factory in Tokyo, this clandestine organization uses neural enhanced weapons known as Awakeners to battle the virus. But will the combined efforts of this secret organization and the mysterious warrior Betterman be enough to save Tokyo?

Review

Humans have searched for the possibility of mortality throughout their past history. Alexander the Great once searched for the fountain of youth in India. Ponce de Leon went on the same mission and ended up discovering the Bahamas and Florida. But despite what science has told us, people in today’s society are persistent in dealing with this issue in maintaining their ‘immortality’ through plastic surgery and ‘miracle’ pills in hopes of looking younger and more revitalized. This is one of the themes we see address in the Anime Betterman.

The name Better Man is pretty self explanatory: he is better than the average man. With the ability to transform into many things by eating different fruit looking objects, Better Man is always there when help is needed. But despite how fancy Betterman looks or how bright and shiny his attacks are, it does nothing to savage the confusing and hopeless trajectory of its plot.

It starts out with Keita who meets his childhood friend Hinoki, as he joins Akamatsu Industries because he possesses the inherited ability to pilot a robot. Asami, an agent of Mode Warp who receives the help of Akamatsu Industries, tags along and takes account for every incident that happens hoping to solve the mysterious illness caused by Algernon. As simple as it sounds, the plot spirals into confusion as the coherency slowly breaks down with each succeeding episode. For example, rather than showing episodes where the audience is allowed to decipher what is going on, information is just being tossed at at the beginning introduction. In fact, most of the time we see Keita and Hikoni running for their life as something is always chasing them that ends with Better Man coming to the rescue. It’s as if the plot is on standby in order to show how bad ass Better Man’s transformations are. Irrelevant information is given every time at the end of each episode which contributs nothing to the identity of Algernon or of Better Man. Only until the last episode is everything explained. But despite these aspects, the Anime still has well crafted themes and ideas. For example as mentioned, the idea of searching for the possibility of immortality. Also, Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest is strongly emphasized (as if it isn’t in many other anime). So while there are confusing points in the plot and times when it goes off tangent, the ending did answer many questions previously introduced. However, there is also a lack of character development.

It isn’t rare to see Anime with character flaws and “Betterman” is no exception. First of all, I have no idea what on earth Keita has to do with all of this Algernon and Better Man thing. The reason for why he is in this mess doesn’t add up. For example, why does he even care to go into the robot and risk his life? Just because he can pilot the robot he would? What about his parents? His personal life? What does he feel that the audience can’t just see through his physical reactions? None of these things are present. I think this anime is allowing me to appreciate Evangelion more for some odd reason. And the fact that we do not know anything about Keita, his character becomes out of place and becomes too important when he is, how should I put this, worthless. The same goes for Hinoki. Who is she? What is her past? The only thing that is known is that her parents vanished 4 years ago during an operation called the Dive Inspection and she is looking for them through working with Akamatsu Industries. In fact, the whole cast is literally filled with stale characters as boring to watch as a piece of bread mold. Betterman fails horribly in developing any of the characters since none of the thoughts and feelings of the characters connect with the audience (at least not me). However, I do enjoy some of the misadventures Keita has like the episode when he is attacked by worms. Aside from the characters, the animation and music are conflicting.

When it comes down to art and music, one would expect them to be one sided: either excels or fail in that area. A good example is like Final Fantasy: Unlimited where the animation is horrible in a general sense. Why did I bring that particular Anime up? The reason is because I did not think there would be a worse design than some of the things you see in FF:U. Betterman however beats it by a mile. The idea of worms attacking people then forming into a giant worm as it unites with each other is such a stupid idea I don’t even know how or why it’s applied. I can understand that B.P.L. is a place where one would see earthly creatures like that. But I mean…come on. The artist and mastermind responsible for unique character design couldn’t do any better than a monster that looks like a piece of ramen noodle with a mouth? In addition Kankel, the ultimate immortal creature, has less fashion than a decorated snowman. And I don;t even want to go into the mecha designs. The conflicting reason is because there is nothing wrong with the actual cast of Akamatsu Industries characters or Better Man and it’s transformations art wise. In fact, I think the transformations of Better Man are pretty well designed. So while there are these distinguishing, crappy designs, there are also well crafted ones. It goes the same with the sound track of Betterman. The opening theme is unbearable. It sounds so off tune and the way it’s made looks so cheap with the ocean and characters fading in and out. On the other hand, there are some pretty decent insert songs during episodes.

The Breakdown

All in all, Betterman is an entertaining show to watch. While the plot is confusing at times and seems to be going nowhere, the ending does a good job in explaining a lot of unanswered questions. And while some of the animation is pretty bad, there are some goods eye popping fights between Better Man and whatever else. Check it out for yourself.

Synopsis
A young man named Monkey D. Luffy dreams of becoming King of the Pirates. When he’s captured by a band of pirates, Luffy escapes to a naval base ruled by an evil captain. Luffy saves the famous swordsman, Zolo from execution in exchange for joining his crew, and the real adventure begins!

Review
One Piece is an example of a show where my stupidity led me to assume that a certain anime is bad because of the way it looked. Man I so deserve a beating from Nami. Not only did this show, proved me wrong, but it surpassed anything that I could have expected from it. The beef that I did have with One Piece is the version I received. It was the TV edited version, which means, some of the show was edited so that it would be appropriate to be shown on cartoon Saturdays or something. The addition of fade in and fade outs made for commercial breaks were annoying, but I guess I should stop with the ranting, I mean, it did warn me on the front and back cover that it was the TV version.

Okay, moving away from the being edited topic, because that can be a whole Rant-ON article in itself. The show is very enjoyable, and the characters are likable. Coby is one funny dude due to the way he reacts to the crazy decisions of Luffy’s. Obviously, our main character is the fellow with the straw hat, yes, that guy named Monkey D. Luffy.

From the start we are introduced to a few of the characters who will have some sort of significance in the show later on. You have heard two names already. Luffy, and Coby (somehow even though he does not become a pirate), the other names you will hear are Roronoa Zoro (Zolo), the pirate hunter and later on Nami, the pirate thieve. At first glance, you already know One Piece will be a fun adventure due to its animation style. It is not serious, although it could be. One thing I liked from the animation is the use of colors. The colors define the emotion a certain character is feeling and it is weird how I just like the utilization of that method in anime.

The plot of One Piece is kept to the basics. This whole adventure was sparked by a little boy’s dream; to be the Pirate King. That little boy has now grown and is now beginning to chase his dream by rounding up a crew of pirates. Of course, this task will not be easy, and if it was not for Luffy’s forbidden fruit abilities he would have been dead by the first volume. The show constantly hangs itself on the cliff. And that is how it gets you addicted to want to continue watching it. The way they did that certainly has me hooked and reeled in. Now if only an unedited version was released. Now that would be cool. I am sure a lot of us are yearning for it.

The Breakdown
Overall, One Piece is great. The story keeps the viewers entertained at all times, while everything else is consistent at providing a good experience. I have fallen in love with One Piece and I hope you do too, because if you do not, you will be missing out on some serious fun.

Synopsis
There is an old legend that speaks of a hidden paradise on Earth - a paradise only wolves can find. And while thought to have been extinct for hundreds of years, wolves still walk the Earth…hidden among mankind. Now, a group of outcast wolves set out to find Paradise: Kiba, Hige, Toboe, and Tsume. Each wolf is driven by their own personality and desires, but together they are pursued by humans seeking to quench their own thirst for power. A difficult and long journey lies ahead, with Paradise waiting to be found.

Review
You can tell from my synopsis that Wolf’s Rain is very vague in its premise. It’s most definitely unique, and in that alone I commend it, as anime these days rarely try to break the boundaries of their genre, be it a giant robot or magical girl or tournament fighting anime. I also have a bias towards loving wolves, who I find to be fascinating creatures, and to see them done in anime like this is a treat unto itself. A further plus was the fact that a majority of the Cowboy Bebop staff worked on Wolf’s Rain, chief among them scriptwriters Keiko Nobumoto and Dai Sato and musical composer Yoko Kanno. Yoko Kanno alone is reason enough to watch any anime, the fact that animation studio BONES (RahXephon, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie) is behind the animation is just icing on the cake. I’ll also add that Wolf’s Rain (and previously Cowboy Bebop) character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto is a favorite among anime character designers for me; his penchant for adult-looking, realistically-proportioned people is a rarity, and I’m glad that he’s on board.

As you can clearly see, Wolf’s Rain has a lot going for it and a high pedigree that shows a lot of potential. And with this mix we have one of my favorite anime of all-time. It currently sits in my top 15, which is saying a lot considering the amount of anime I’ve seen. And every time I rewatch it I enjoy it more. The idea that wolves will lead the world to paradise is an interesting premise, the fact that they hide themselves among mankind by casting a spell on people is doubly intriguing (to explain: the wolf characters in the show have human forms…sort of. If you look at their footprints in the snow and their shadows on walls, they appear to be wolves. They are merely casting a spell when they want to make people perceive them as humans. This is because they are being hunted by humans because the humans fear that having the wolves bring paradise will end their current world, so killing all the wolves will stop this and save their world).

It should be noted that Wolf’s Rain is more drama and plot than action. When action does appear, it kicks copious amounts of ass, because the wolves are given superhuman abilities of jumping and speed. When they use these abilities in their human form, it looks awesome. The animation certainly helps matters: it’s crisp, fluid, and detailed, just what is expected from BONES. Yoko Kanno’s music is far removed from anything she’s done before, she defines it as “brazilian with flamenco sensibilities” and you can tell with the peppered bits of spanish instruments strewn about the various musical tracks. I personally loved the music so much I went out and bought the soundtrack, and I think this is one of her best works ever, only being surpassed by Cowboy Bebop and maybe Escaflowne: The Movie.

The story itself is a road trip show in a sense, as the four main wolves are constantly on the move from one place to the next while the search for paradise. The secondary characters (which receive excellent backgrounds in their own right) are also constantly moving, either one step ahead or behind the wolves. Since the story is heavy on religion and mysticism and tribal/pack aspects, the plot tends to be vague for the most part. You either have to buy into what they are telling you or not. You can’t make sense of it because it isn’t meant to, and this will probably be the biggest hurdle for you to get over. There is no rational explanation why wolves are the ones that lead the world to paradise, they just are. There’s no reason why wolves have the abilities they do, like casting a spell on all humans or having the abilities they do….they just do. If one can get past these things, you will be enveloped into one of the most engrossing anime I’ve ever seen.

The Breakdown
Wolf’s Rain is easily one of the best things I’ve seen, anime or not. It’s mature, takes itself moderately seriously, enjoys what its telling us, and has a couple of important things to say about the state of man in accordance with nature. It’s one hell of a ride with an extremely bittersweet ending, and the production values are off the charts. If people can attain a certain suspension of disbelief, then there is no reason, I think, that you wouldn’t enjoy this anime. Give at least the first volume a shot to see if its your thing (it has five episodes on it, which is just enough to judge whether this is for you or not).

Synopsis
Feudal Japan - A time of danger, intrigue and deception. Jubei Kibagami is a masterless samurai who travels the land alone, hiring his services for any amount of money he can get. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a hideous plot to overthrow the current government threatens to end his wandering ways and possibly his life. When a small village succumbs to a possible plague, a team of ninjas are sent to investigate, and realize that all is not as it seems. Ambushed, they are wiped out by a fearsome man-monster with incredible powers, leaving only one alive - Kagero, a beautiful female ninja, whose very touch can bring instant death. Jubei saves her from a fate worse than death, and unwittingly becomes drawn into the web of treachery. He is soon faced with his greatest challenge, an enemy for whom death holds no fear, with the power to destroy Jubei’s world.

Review
Ninja Scroll is an anime classic in the sense that brainless live-action movies like The Rock are classics. The story is simple and straightforward and the backstory doesn’t make much sense, but so long as the blood is pumping and the next action sequence isn’t far off, we are glued to the screen. Ninja Scroll should seem familiar to some; it was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who has a very distinctive flair (he was also responsible for Wicked City, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and the “Program” short from The Animatrix). If you’ve seen any of these, you know Kawajiri can direct incredibly riveting action sequences, and Ninja Scroll is no exception. The action is fluid and always on-screen, and we are never confused as to what’s going on. This is helped by the animation, which looks very good for its age and clearly had a big budget so everything could be animated.

While the action is sweet and the animation nice to look at, the same can’t be said of the characters. They are archetypes through and through, and never break their cliched personalities. This means no surprises and no twists. Fortunately, Jubei is an easy-going, laid-back samurai, and is instantly likeable and fun to watch. The Eight Devils of Kimon, the main villains of the film, are easy to hate, and are clearly made to look evil and despicable, but nothing more. The most interesting character (which isn’t saying much) is the old goverment spy Dakuan, whose motives are unknown and whose character gets the most dialogue. There’s also Kagero, the beautiful female ninja. Her main purpose is to be the sex object; who is raped by two different villains in the show and is mainly there to show off some gratuitous nudity.

But, that’s what Ninja Scroll is all about. This was THE film that defined the cliched anime action genre (at least in the US, from what I understand Ninja Scroll went unnoticed in Japan for the most part). It has all the gratuitous sex and nudity, excellent action and battle scenes, throwaway plot, and pointless blood and gore that make this genre what it is today. It inspired a million imitators, but this is still the best. I think if you’re a heterosexual male with a strong stomach, that you should definitely give this a try. Its badass and tough and manly and bloody and everything else that plays to that carnal male instinct.

The Breakdown
Give the film a shot. You’ll probably enjoy it, but the movie certainly doesn’t have any artistic merits beyond the action sequences. The film just last year received the deluxe treatment from Manga Entertainment, who put out a 10th Anniversary Edition DVD of the film commemorating its original US release. I recommend renting that, if not outright buying it. You’ll have a lot of fun.

Synopsis
In the wake of a worldwide disaster, the inhabitants of Candlestick Island struggle to rebuild their civilization. Here, a boy named Mangchi leads a sheltered like with his grandfather. Armed with his trusty hammer, Mangchi roams the island in search of adventure. When a fugitive princess named Poplar arrives with power hungry traitors hot on her heels, Mangchi must help her escape her enemies and return to her homeland. It’s to be Hammerboy’s adventure of a lifetime… If he survives!

Review
Hammerboy is a rare anime that tries to incorporate a brilliant story of a power hungry traitor who tries to take over a kingdom with a young boy, who one night, after rescuing a runaway princess, finds himself fighting to save and protect the people closest to him.

While watching this anime, I found an admiration for Mangchi. He is a kid who is at an age where he is still carefree and innocent, yet, at a point where ambitions and egos run wild as he tries to prove his strength and maturity. Watching further into the anime, I realized how much Mangchi changes and how much he grows as he struggles with hardship, suffering, and even death. But somehow, he finds himself growing stronger as hope, determination, and his will to become strong overcomes his frustration as it takes precedence during his journey. Mangchi only wants to do one thing: he wants to protect the people around him by becoming stronger.

In addition, the plot is short of being superficial or stale. Many different layers of stories are present in this anime. There is the main plot which is the fight against a usurper, but as the anime progresses, the plot branches out to some what of a side story. In the end, however, everything is carefully weaved and put together to explain the questions unanswered previously and to also explain the motives behind each characters.

Furthermore, the soundtrack is decent. Park Ji-yeon does a great job singing the theme song You Are My Hero

One thing I do have to disagree with which is the animation. The character designs were plain and very simple along with some of the background settings. Though I do admit there were some innovative designs like Candlestick Island, the majority of the anime with the looks of the castle and the props and even the tank gave me an impression that much of the animation was being neglected. I think there was even one point of the anime where it looked as if Poplar was cross-eyed when I looked at her face indirectly.

All in all, Hammerboy is a decent anime that can be enjoyable for the whole family. And who ever says that hammers are only tools, take out this anime and show them the hammer’s true power.

The Breakdown
A movie that’s 75 minutes long.

Synopsis
The kingdom of Kuruda has known many warriors, none greater than the Sevalle, an elite breed whose mastery of martial arts has made them legendary. But for the 59th Sevalle, Elle Ragu, a.k.a. Shadow Skill, being a legend is shaping up to be something of a drag. After all, adventure alone doesn’t pay the rent, and living check to check takes its toll on even the fiercest warrior. Strong as an ox and stubborn as a mule she may be, but it’s drinking like a fish that usually gets Elle in trouble. And as she travels alongside her brother Gau, leaving property damage and unpaid bar-tabs in their wake, a new threat looms on the horizon: spies from the kingdom of Solfan have entered the picture, and Kuruda seems to be headed for war…

Review
Shadow Skill is an action packed anime filled with martial arts, magic talisman users, and demons; along with a touch of hot-blooded-super-robot-like-screams, this anime just becomes that much more interesting and worthwhile to view.

What I found interesting when I watched Shadow Skill was how things were set up. The characters. for one, were very actively introduced. In volume one of Shadow Skill, we see a very immediate and unique development in some of the characters such as Elle and her charismatic personality as well as giving her an image of a quick-to-act-on-everything person. Each character also seem to have a mind of his or her own as narration of characters shifts constantly from third person perspective to first person perspective where the viewers can understand the motives behind each action and decision.

The first three episodes does not hint to what the plot of this anime is other than the fact that something is going to happen to the kingdom of Kuruda. What I do like, however, is that volume one sets up a feeling of adventure, almost like a Role Playing Game. There is the protagonist Elle, who has the ability to use secret martial arts techniques (also the same with her younger brother), her ‘guardian’ who has the ability to use talisman magic, and a young girl who has the ability to use rings as weapon that has the power to restrain demons. A distinction of character attributes gives a feel like each character has something different to contribute further into the anime. But as for now, Elle is currently the 59th Sevalle and her past is fairly unknown.

Animation and music were also well done. I will admit that it did get a little annoying to see the screen turn black and some letters written out right before the attack, but the animation itself does not lack brilliance in colors or character designs. I looked at the structure and design of the coliseum Elle fought at and felt like I was in Rome (maybe a little exaggeration). Furthermore, the music is well composed. Everything played seems to fit perfectly with whatever is happening whether it was a sad moment or a happy one.

Shadow Skill volume one does a great job introducing some of the main characters as well as setting up an adventure to come.

The Breakdown
You’ll like this is you are searching for an anime full of action and excitement. Who doesn’t want to see a girl kick ass?

Synopsis
During the 20th Century, the world experienced a large-scale war. A war between humans and monsters. Words could never describe the violent bloodshed of the war the monsters had won. Time has passed and a new century has begun. And the people have forgotten that Melody…

Life continued on as normal except for a mysterious sacrifice here and there. However, Bocca felt that this was wrong and when he heard of the Warriors of Melos, people who still rallied to defeat the monsters, he decided to become one as well. But this wasn’t an easy path and there was still much to be learned about the Melody of Oblivion.

Review
Before entering the world of The Melody of Oblivion, you first need to know a little bit about the people that made it. As a joint effort between Gainax and J.C. Staff, you instantly have the makings for an incredible, intriguing, and to a point, bewildering title. Gainax is famous for it’s seminal works, “FLCL” and “Neon Genesis Evangelion”. JC Staff created such outstanding series as “Revolutionary Girl Utena” and “Azumanga Daioh”. After watching The Melody of Oblivion, it’s safe to say that it belongs amongst the elite of both Gainax and JC Staff.

The Melody of Oblivion is a story of Bocca Serenade. Bocca has recently become increasingly disinterested with his classwork. His school teaches the art of shooting the “arrows of the soul”, which appears to be no more than pulling back and releasing the string of a bow. When Bocca uses a real arrow, his teacher chides him and uses the oppurtunity to trivialize the power of a real arrow. Because of Bocca’s failure to conform, he fails an important test and must be retested within the next week. Bocca remains unempathetic about the test, much to his girlfriend’s chagrin. She tries to persuade Bocca to retake the test, but he refuses. What is the point of the bow if not to fight the monsters, he wonders? During his conversation with his girlfriend, he notices his parents walking towards the school. After examining the situation further, Bocca finds that his parents are paying the teacher to make sure Bocca passes.

Agitated by the matter, Bocca runs away. While walking through a mall, he meets the energetic Sayoko. Through Sayoko, Bocca learns that a man he has seen before is actually a Warrior of Melos. Before Sayoko can discuss the man any further, a pair of police show up and chase Sayoko away.

Bocca, now alone and curious about the Warrior of Melos, goes to the place where he saw the warrior last. There he finds the warrior, Kurofune, having his special motorcycle, called an Aibar Machine, repaired by the venerable Tsunagi. Tsunagi, a friend of Bocca’s, welcomes Bocca in and introduces Bocca to Kurofune. Through Kurofune, Bocca learns of the Melody of Oblivion. She is a vision that only the Warriors of Melos can see. It is rumored that should a Warrior of Melos go to where the Melody of Oblivion is, the war will end.

The Melody of Oblivion visually and audibly seems to be almost as much fine art as it is traditional anime. The music in the series is absolutely breathtaking, and is executed perfectly. The Opening, ‘Will’ is both elegant and exciting, and is a great listen with or without the series. The background music in the series is amongst the best I have ever heard. It serves to set up every scene and creates a power that highlights the drama, action, and intrigue of the series.

The character designs are plain and simple, but are also quite unique. The Animation has a tendency to reuse footage, but otherwise is solid. The background artwork seems to be mellow and nondescript at first, being made up mostly of pastels and having a watercolor look to them. Throughout the first episode, the artwork changes steadilly, becoming much darker. By the end of the first episode, the settings and atmosphere have completely changed, and the the world seems much more grim. This is an interesting technique that I enjoyed during the episode, as it happened in step with the viewer learning that Bocca’s world has much stewing under the surface.

My only problem with the first volume is the English dub. While Carrie Savage does a decent enough job with Sayoko, many of the other major characters left me wanting. The most major of these was Bocca’s dub, as done by Ted Sroka, whose most prominent role prior to the Melody of Oblivion was in Ikki Tousen as Kokin Shuyu. Through the first four episodes, Sroka never really seemed to capture the character of Bocca. This really disapointed me.

The Breakdown
Run, don’t walk, and go buy this series today.

Synopsis
A mysterious pillar of darkness appears in Japan, opening a dimensional gate where two monsters were released fighting each other in an epic battle. Two kids, Yu Hayakawa and Ai Hayakawa embark on a journey in search for their parents who vanished during the fight. Hitching a ride on a phantom train, they arrive in a mysterious world accompanied by Lisa, a girl who they met on the train. Soon, they begin jumping from one world to another gathering clues about their parents with the help of Lisa and another mysterious person named Kaze who has the ability to summon creatures with his gun. Will the kids ever find their parents? Who is Kaze and what is this man’s past that seems so dark and enigmatic?

Review
A person may either be a hardcore Final Fantasy fan or a person may not even know what Final Fantasy is. If one happen to luck out being a fan, then this can be an anime that that person has been waiting for all his life. If not, all I can say is… Welcome.. To …Hell. Lucky for me for the most part, it doesn’t matter if I’m a fan or not right now.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited attempts to bring you back all the lovable characters you saw in many Final Fantasy games. There are Moogles Cactuars, summons, battles, multi dimensional transportations, and yes, even cid is in this anime. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say about this anime.

The impression I got watching the first episode was ‘oh look… kids looking for their parents. Sounds interesting.’. It turns out that these kids were nothing more than plot driving devices. If anything, the story was based more on Kaze and how long it would take for him to summon using his gun.

Also, the characters were flat and bland. We have Ai and Yu who we don’t really see much of them other than possessing some third person characteristics. We also have Makenshi who the viewers also don’t know much about. Lisa who tags along with these kids and tries to show her caring side up to the point where it seems also artificial. Also, we have Kaze who we don’t really know anything about either. It didn’t seem like the anime really care much to introduce Kaze other than some awesome guy who swings his mighty gun around like a toy every kid wants. Seriously, there are many other characters that don’t get introduced other than the name they have and the evil laugh they possess. In other words, most of the characters fail to show depth ness in them. Maybe Lisa and Kaze develop a little of that, but hell, I’ve seen episodes some anime that are 20 minutes long with more character development than the two can develop holding hands with each together.

In addition, the animation of almost everything was horrible. The character designs were extremely plain and simple. This includes humans, monsters… etc etc. I mean come on… most of the monster we see are mushrooms with the ability of a jump attack and releasing spores. However, I was a little amused when Kaze summons using his gun, though it seemed like more time was dedicated by the animators on that one event than the whole anime combined.

Furthermore, the fighting was uneventful for the most part. Lisa has the ability to use magic and Kaze has the ability to spend five minutes flipping bullets into his demon gun. Most of the time, I wonder what the monsters are doing while Kaze is spending all his time doing that. Common sense says they actually… attack him? Sounds like a plan right?

Lastly, each episode felt extremely unbalanced with the preceding episode and vice-versa. I got the feeling of watching Kino’s Journey gone horribly wrong. For example, the first half of this anime shows our ‘protagonists’ moving from world to world riding on the phantom train ending with a resolution most of the time. For the last half however, we get many episodes which is a result of a single cause. Thus, we move from being episodic to where each episode heavily depend on each other in order to make sense.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited can be an anime for Final Fantasy fans to appreciate. Otherwise, stay out of its path. You might get killed by some jumping mushroom attack.

The Breakdown
25 episodes of the planned 52 episodes of this anime. The second reason seemed to have been gone with the wind.

Synopsis
An old Mauser prophecy claims that a certain person known as the scrapped princess is to be killed at birth for on the dreaded day that she turns 16, a plague upon man was to be released…

…and so the story begins.

Years later after the birth of Pacifica, the new alleged scrapped princess, along with her brother Shannon and her sister Raquel, continue an endless journey avoiding people who possess a threat to their lives. Faithfully accompanying their little sister, they vow to protect Pacifica until the fateful day when she turns 16. What danger does Pacifica possess as being the Scrapped Princess according to the ancient prophecy? What is the fate of Pacifica as she begins to doubt her existence more and more?

Review
Honestly.. I wasn’t really interested when I heard the name ‘Scrapped Princess’. My first impression was somewhat like an ‘ oh great… another ecchi sounding anime’. However, I soon realized how wrong I was to assume this anime to be anything else but greatness…

Scrapped Princess offers you an innovative story with eye dazzling magic and intense fighting scenes with all of its originality attached. It attempts to join a fantasy world with a science fiction world together, ultimately giving the viewers a dose in what human imaginations can create.

In the first few episodes of Scrapped Princess, viewers receive a glimpse of who the Scrapped Princess is. Nothing is told other than the fact that Pacifica carries some sort of curse like a Pandora’s Box waiting to be opened . Despite the fact that nothing is revealed until much later, the story picks up consistently as more questions are brought up than answered with the appearance of the Peacemakers, BUGs, and Dragoons. Scrapped Princess carries its plot extremely well using the mystery of Pacifica as a primary driving force.

Furthermore, the animation and music is nothing short of greatness. The animation, from the tiniest mechanical robot such as BUGs to the grand size of a Peacemaker to all the characters of Scrapped Princess, were beautifully drawn, overlapping with a rich layer of colors. Similarly, the music was also well executed from the opening to the ending and in between.

In addition, many of the characters in Scrapped Princess show depth. We have the protagonist Pacifica who tries to be cheerful most of the time despite the fact that she is unwanted by the world as she carries the heavy burden of death at 16. There is Raquel and Shannon as they fight and stake their lives for the sister they love. The characters are charming and well characterrized but not overly exaggerated.The relationship Pacifica, Shannon, and Raquel share with each other is nothing short or artificial as they deal with the pains and struggles together in a bond that seems to be unbreakable.

As the anime comes near to its conclusion, we learn about the surprising truth behind Pacifica and what her role is as being the Scrapped Princess as the anime attempts to explain human destiny and ignorance/freewill of individuals.

Scrapped Princess proves to be on a scale of greatness as it tries to tackle on a simple yet complex question by incorporating itself with the themes of fantasy and adventure: is ignorance bliss?

The Breakdown
24 episodes of greatness that dares to rival Record of Lodoss War OVA.